Illustration: Elliot Elam
«Do you know? I remember when this place was filled with writers. I used to see Sartre and de Beauvoir here all the time,» you tell your partner over a Ricard at Les Deux Magots. You remember your time at the Sorbonne as a student, of your nights on Mouffetard and chanting «étudiants, travailleurs, même combat!» Who could have guessed that old printing press you started to spread information about les maux sociaux would wind up publishing the first hardcopies of L’insurrection qui vient? These days you publish cutting edge art books, but culture needn’t be sacrificed for egalité, fraternité, liberté, n’est-ce pas? You lament the direction France has taken since those heady days of ’68, but in the galleries, shops, bakeries, and cafés of St-Germain-des- Près «la lutte continue». You bises your partner goodbye, ask her to stop by Le Bon Marché on the way home and pick up some Bordeaux from any year when Chirac was still in office. You hum Gainsbourg’s Requiem pour un con to yourself and contemplate whether it’s time to move on to champagne.
Our favourite places to spot a St. Germainer
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La Cave des Papilles
Text by Omid Tavallai & Images by Matthew Rose The story has almost become a cliché in what’s hot and exciting in Paris: A young upstart with no formal training. Someone who bailed on a corporate career to pursue an … [CLICK TO READ MORE]
Minuit à Musée d'Orsay ~ The American Friends Gala
Natalie Turturro dresses in a hundred bows and a tiny top hat to witness the opening of the “Nouvel Orsay” at the American Friends of Musée d’Orsay’s première gala.
[CLICK TO READ MORE]Paris on Film: Paris vu par…
Image: Les Films du Losange Text: Christophe Dumay This is the first in a monthly series about Paris on Film: a cinematic tour of Paris by a lifelong Parisian (and film buff) to explore and discover the world’s most beautiful … [CLICK TO READ MORE]
Viewing The Strauss-Kahn Scandal Through A Historical Lens
Image: AFP / Getty Images Text: Corrie Goldman This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared in The Human Experience. On May 14, 2011, just before takeoff for a flight from New York City to Paris, police … [CLICK TO READ MORE]
What Next For Jeudi Noir?
Text: Aidan Mac Guill Image: Flickr CC Neno° In January of this year riot police entered 22 avenue Matignon, a 4000 square metre office building in Paris’ prosperous 1st arrondissement. They had been tasked with evicting a group reportedly made … [CLICK TO READ MORE]
Coutume – Paris, Meet Good Coffee
Text & Images: Omid Tavallai There has been much talk lately about the state of coffee in Paris. Slashing through the images of postcard-perfect zinc counter tops and romantic sidewalks lined with little round tables peddled to the masses, some … [CLICK TO READ MORE]
Astier de Villatte
Text: Aran Cravey Image: Sophie Delaporte Beyond the basic plate/bowl/cup trio of everyday tableware, I’m a mere Simpleton when it comes to the subject of ceramics. The finer points of teapots and terrines are lost on my “form-follows-function” sensibilities, but … [CLICK TO READ MORE]
Hermès Takes A Left Bank Leap
Text and Images: Aran Cravey No few times have I strolled passed the Hermès store on rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré and dreamt of living in the luxurious, fairy tale worlds of style displayed in their dazzling windows. Just as Holly … [CLICK TO READ MORE]
MAC/VAL Vitry Sur Seine – Worth the visit
In the unlikely event that Paris is beginning to get tiresome, art correspondent Lilianne Milgrom offers two very different art experiences outside the Paris metropolis. Here she offers a contemporary option at Vitry-sur-Seine’s outstanding contemporary museum MAC/VAL.
[CLICK TO READ MORE]Galerie Babel opens in St Germain
Text Elisabeth Fourmont If it has been Armageddon for the art market lately, one upshot is that places are opening for newer artists where one wouldn’t expect. On the rue Guénéguad in the heart of Saint Germain des Prés, you … [CLICK TO READ MORE]
E. Dehillerin
Text and image: Carly DeFilippo If E. Dehillerin is not the most practical place to shop for kitchen equipment in Paris, it’s certainly the most nostalgic. The vintage, forest-green storefront spans the corner of rue Coquillière and rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau, … [CLICK TO READ MORE]
Au Petit Tonneau
Text: Brendan Seibel Nestled amongst the glitz and glitter of the 7th Au Petit Tonneau brings the neighbourhood back to Earth. Walking inside this unassuming restaurant is like crossing the threshold of a family home. The small staff are welcoming, … [CLICK TO READ MORE]
La Grande Epicerie de Paris
Text: Richard Price The man in the jaunty suede jacket and the casually woven scarf paused at the meat section of the grocery store and gazed down at the choices. He clutched his throat whilst he gazed at the selections. … [CLICK TO READ MORE]
Pralus Chocolate
Text: Boris Petrovic Unlike many young and upcoming producers or artisans, struggling to obtain their place among the best, François Pralus has had a completely different agenda – namely, some very big shoes to fill. His father was a famous … [CLICK TO READ MORE]
Hotel Thérèse
Text: Susie Hollands Hotel Thérèse is situated in a fabulous quartier of Paris in a typical building from the 18th century looking onto one that is even more exquisite. This 3 star hotel is a discreet bonne addresse of well-heeled … [CLICK TO READ MORE]
Michel Cluizel Chocolate
Text: Boris Petrovic In an attempt to write an article about high-end Parisian chocolate stores, create a top list of the very best chocolate manufacturers in the world, and even write about the contemporary history of chocolate one would have … [CLICK TO READ MORE]
Musée des Arts Décoratifs
Text: Tiffany Tang Photo: Bathroom designed by Armand Albert Rateau Situated in Louvre’s nineteenth-century Rohan and Marsan wings is the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, a museum of decorative art and design that houses over 150,000 objects, showcasing collections of antiquities … [CLICK TO READ MORE]
Maison de l’Architecture
Text: Anna Bromwich My dog-eared street map of Paris, printed in 1984, lists the U-shaped building opposite Gare de l’Est as a hospital, causing momentary confusion as I navigate my way from the station and across the street. Today Maison … [CLICK TO READ MORE]
Le Petit Paris
Text Susie Hollands Le Petit Paris is a welcome addition to the mid priced hotel options in one of the most sought after areas of the city. Still feeling brand new (opened September 2009) the old Relais de Poste … [CLICK TO READ MORE]
Setting up a French association (loi 1901)
Text: Rooksana Hossenally Living in France has undeniable advantages which go beyond good cheese and wine, such as being able to set up a non-profit Association Loi 1901. Ideal for those looking to do something a little different in their … [CLICK TO READ MORE]